Bring Your Daughter to Work Day
by xxBatteri
Summary: Aperture Laboratory's first annual Bring Your Daughter to Work Day becomes the last due to an AI gone terribly wrong.  Oneshot


Why hello, everybody! Look who has a new Portal obsession. I just loved the whole thing. The characters were great and loveable, the scenery and themes were amazing, and the plot was just incredible. So here's my crappy attempt at a Portal oneshot. It probably sucks because I just spat it out as soon as the inspiration hit me. So I would appreciate no critique responses. I hope you guys like it.

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><p>Chell looked ecstatically out the window of her parents' car. Today was the day she had been waiting for. It was Aperture Science's first annual Bring Your Daughter to Work Day, and she had been counting down the days since she found out about it. She watched in amazement as the car drove by the facility and pulled into the massive parking lot. She would often daydream about Aperture, and the possibilities of the awesome structure amazed her. She would spend hours on end fantasizing about what it would be like, and now it was finally time to see it for real for the first time ever. Science was always her favorite subject in school, and she was the best at it, too. She would always tell everyone how much she enjoyed it, and would constantly read upon as much as she possibly could. She looked forward to showing off her science experiment she prepared to all the other little girls. As she crawled out of the car's back seat, she grabbed her parents' hands as they escorted her inside. Her excitement grew with every step she took. The building was so much bigger now that she was standing right next to it. Nothing in her imagination could ever compare to the real thing. As the sliding doors opened in front of them, the inviting smell of a fresh, clean lab filled her senses. They were greeted at the door by a secretary. Her parents exchanged a few words with her, and she began to trail off a bit. The inside was even better than the out. The lobby was very large, and had a nice, clean shine to everything. The Aperture logo was hanging in large print on one wall with a sitting room nearby. Her father grabbed her hand and took her away. Together, they carried her project down into a room. There was a large sign labeled for the occasion, and other little girls were there setting up their projects. Chell was the last one there. She walked to the end of the line and set up her display.<p>

Glancing over at the other displays, she was shocked to see that nearly all of them had the same idea. Only a single girl didn't have a project containing potatoes in any way. Chell didn't like to brag, but hers was by far the best and the most thought-out. She was sure she'd get first prize. After all, it did take her a long time to get it together. And who could predict it would grow and flourish so well? The mutated plant towered over all the other projects. As her parents left for work, Chell was left alone in the small room with a single scientist chaperone and all of the other little girls. She was uneasy at first; she never really got along well with other children. As the other girls laughed and played and made new friends, Chell distanced herself and sat on the ground by her project. Instead, she focused herself on her thoughts. She longed to see the rest of the facility, but they would never let her. A science lab was deemed too dangerous for a little girl her age. Slowly, the hours went by. Soon her parents would be back for the final advent. Aperture Laboratories had been working on a project for quite some time now, and it was finally the day it was ready and about to be unveiled for all of the young girls to see their parents' hard work at last. Just the thought of what the surprise could be made Chell shiver with anticipation. When the parent scientists came in again, Chell gave her mother a big hug. It was only a matter of time now. As she clung to her parents' lab coats, the announcement rang through the loudspeakers. The Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, or GLaDOS as a few of the scientists called it, would be started up soon. The children were escorted by each of their parents to the chamber where the machine was being held. They boasted that this machine was a revolution, and would bring on a whole new meaning to artificial intelligence. The scientists told them that the future would unfold right there in front of their young minds. Finally, a scientist stepped onto the platform in front of GLaDOS and another booted her up. As soon as the mechanics of the AI began humming for the first time, the machine sprung to life. The scientist on the platform barely got started on his speech as GLaDOS looked out at the crowd. Chell noticed her slowly swaying back and forth, and if she was rocking herself. And in a quick flash, the crowd heard a distinct hissing sound coming into the room. Amazement turned to horror as scientists rushed for cover, children screamed, and frantic parents tried to protect their daughters. People screamed in pain, and she could only remember the scientist yelling, "It's neurotoxin!" As the group scrambled for the door, it was useless. GLaDOS held the doors firmly shut. The last thing Chell could ever remember that day was all a blur. She passed out on the floor, as all of the others were dropping like flies.

When she woke up again, she was blinded by the bright, florescent lights above her. She was laying in a bed now, and she could hear a faint beeping noise beside her. She gasped, taking in the first breath of clean air that she could remember. She heard a door open, and then a woman calling for a doctor. Her foggy vision was slowly beginning to clear up. She blinked as a dark haired man in a white coat stood over her. She opened her mouth to speak, but not a word made it past her lips. She couldn't utter a sound. It was then that the man told her everything. Her parents, the children, and most of the scientists were dead. In fact, she was one of the few survivors. It was the hardest she'd ever cried that day in the hospital bed. She wanted to yell, she wanted to scream, but not a single sound came out. The doctors told her she would never speak again. She was trapped and helpless in her own body. She almost wished she died with the rest of them.

"If it makes you feel any better, science has now validated your birth mother's decision to abandon you on a doorstep."

As a tear formed in the young woman's eye, and only one sentence came to her mind.

_Who are you trying to fool?_


End file.
